It’s difficult to write a review that will do this poetry collection justice. 

Broken into three parts:

I. “You will need to state the reason for you visit” — an examination of being an immigrant and refugee, how it feels to be forced to leave behind a life and how it is trying to find a life in your new home. Loving and remembering your culture, despite being forced out of your home. 

II. Emerging from the ancient wound — Brutal, heart wrenching poems about violence, resilience, death, and the role of western culture and media in it all. 

III. Amulets for the journey — Love letters to the authors Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian roots, to her children, to her parents and grandparents. A reminder of what’s being destroyed. 

This collection is so poignant, beautiful, and brutal. I encourage everyone to pick it up.